The Alternative
by TopsyTurvyTurners
Summary: What if Magda had revealed her pregnancy to the Turners? What if she hadn't aborted her baby? Would she have stayed in Poplar? Would she and The Turners have had a closer bond if they had helped her with her pregnancy and birth? Find out here! OC is Magda! Please review! x
1. chapter 1

'Oh Magda, you should have told me sooner..' Shelagh soothed as she held the young woman close to her in the early hours of the morning and the young woman sobbed softly into her neck as the two of them were sat together on the settee, gentle tears stinging in her own eyes she had an arm wrapped securely around her waist and she drew tender circles into the centre of Magda's spine with the palm of her other hand. Just ten minutes earlier she had come downstairs to the sound of Magda's gentle whimpers from behind the closed door of the lavatory, her motherly instinct kicking in instantly when the young woman had unlocked the door and stepped out of the room with soft tears in her eyes.

Magda had broken down into gentle sobs the moment she had met Shelagh's gaze - the discomfort of her body adjusting to carry her baby and the fear of knowing that her ex-fiancé, that beast of a man who had treated her so violently when she'd been living in Paris that she had felt as though she had had no choice but to take up work as an au pair in order to escape from him, had left her in the family way finally becoming to big of a burden to carry by herself for a moment longer. Shelagh had drawn her immediately into her arms then, stroking her hair and hushing her soothingly as she had tried to comfort the young woman to the best of her ability and Magda's sobs had been loud and broken as she had nuzzled into the side of her neck.

As her cries had started to cease somewhat and she had managed to compose herself a little she'd allowed Shelagh to lead her by the hand towards the settee, the two of them sitting down together before she had let everything out. She hadn't held anything back, telling her employer about how the abuse that she had suffered at the hands of her ex-fiancé had started just weeks after he had proposed to her and how he had never allowed her to talk to other men because he hadn't had the slightest bit of faith in her, and as soon as she had told Shelagh everything she had allowed herself to just break down into gut-wrenching sobs and allowed her new friend to pull her close once again and soothe her.

'Magda, listen to me.' Shelagh told her as she carefully brought her out of her arms a few moments later, reaching up to wipe the warm tears off of her cheeks. 'I need you to be completely honest with me and tell me if you've done anything to try and cause an abortion, because if you have we need to get you to hospital to get you checked over.'

'I haven't, I swear.' Magda sniffed as her chest rose and fell heavily from her previous sobs. 'I've heard about women who I could go to who could get rid of it for me if I asked them but when I mentioned it to Valerie she looked as though she was going to throw up and she told me that if I knew what those women did to people then I wouldn't have even considered it.'

'She's right,' Shelagh shivered slightly, a wave of nausea washing over her at the thought of one of those women laying a finger on the young woman before her. 'If I had it my way every single one of those women would be put into prison for attempted murder because it is extremely rare when a procedure of that sort is carried out - a procedure that is done with no care whatsoever for the woman in question; with no experience and no sterilised equipment - that the patient survives it. You must promise me, Magda, promise me that you will never visit one of those women.'

'I promise.' Magda sniffed, gazing down at her hands as they rested in her lap. 'But Mrs. Turner, what am I going to do? I have no home; no family, no way of providing for my baby when it is born, so how could I ever expect to be an adequate mother?'

'Oh, Magda.' Shelagh smiled warmly as she took the young woman's hand in her own and brushed her thumb lightly across her knuckles. 'This is your home for as long as you would like it to be. We are your family, I and Patrick and the children, and I promise you that if you let me speak to him about this; if you let me explain your condition to him and you let me tell him about what happened to you before you came to us I know he will support you. He'll let you stay here.'

A small smile spread across Magda's lips. 'If I were to accept your offer,' She started. 'Would you come to my appointments with me? Would you help me through the birth?'

'If you were to accept,' Shelagh smiled. 'I would be beside you through everything.'

Magda fell silent for a moment as she thought things over in her head, her dark eyes glistening when she looked up and met Shelagh's gaze. 'Alright.' She nodded. 'I will stay and I will have this baby, but when my baby is born I will find my own house. I can't go back to Hungary and I can't go back to Paris, but I also can't go on as an au pair if I have a baby with me so I will have to stay here in Poplar.'

'You'll hear no objection from this family.' Shelagh reassured her. 'Especially not from Angela!'

\- CTM -

Dawn was just beginning to break as Shelagh tiptoes quietly back into the bedroom that she shared with her husband after she had tucked Magda back into bed with a hot water-bottle to help with the stomach cramps from her body's adjusting and a fresh cup of tea to help with the shaking, a soft yawn escaping her as she closed the door gently behind herself before making her way over to her bed.

She couldn't help but sigh deeply as she lowered herself down onto the edge of it. She had meant it when she had told Magda that Patrick would support her and that he would be understanding and when she had told her that she had a home; a family with them. She just hoped Magda would do as she had promised and stay well away from those wretched women.

'Shelagh?' Patrick's sleepy voice prompted her to turn in her space on the bed a few moments later, a loving smile forming upon her lips as she watched him push himself up onto his hands. 'What's the matter? Is everything okay?' He shifted closer to her on their bed before reaching out to cup the free of her cheek in his palm.

'Everything's fine, dearest,' She leaned in for a soft kiss. 'Magda's feeling unwell so I told her to stay in bed today and I will stay home to care for the children. Go back to sleep, Patrick, you have to be up in less than two hours.'

'I can't sleep properly without you in my arms, Mrs. Turner.' He reminded her as he buried his face in her neck and began to leave sweet kisses upon her skin as he wrapped his arm around her waist from behind. 'Come and get into bed and snuggle with me.' He allowed her to stand from their bed then before he pulled back the quilt for her and allowed her to climb onto the mattress, a deep sigh of contentment escaping her as she lay down beside him and he pressed his lips to the back of her head in a slow kiss as he wrapped his arm around her middle before bringing her back against his chest. 'Mmm...I love you so much.'

'I love you too, darling.' She whispered as she nuzzled into her pillow and her eyes fell closed, a deep sigh escaping her as images of Magda and the baby that she was carrying began to fill her head. 'Patrick?' She spoke gently.

'Hm?' He hummed into her neck.

'Hold me tighter.' She told him as she took his hand and pulled his arm tighter around her, a sleepy smile forming upon her lips as she snuggled back against him.

It was then that she knew everything was going to be okay Patrick was going to support every decision that she made and she was going to support a decision that Magda made regarding her baby, and so with love for her husband and support for Magda in her heart Shelagh was finally able to drift off into a blissful slumber.

\- CTM -

 **Authors note: I hope you all enjoye the first chapter! I'm not sure what I think about this but if you liked this idea and want to see more please let me know with a review! I am still working on my other stories, it's just that inspiration hasn't really been coming to me for them for a while. They are still in progress though, so please don't give up on them. Once again, I hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

It was later that same morning when Shelagh was stood in front of the mirror in the corner of the bedroom that she shared with Patrick as she buttoned up the front of her blouse, her mind far away as she reflected on the conversation that she and Magda had shared less than two hours earlier. She chastised herself silently for not noticing the signs. She was a trained midwife, for heaven's sake, how could she have been so blind? She knew that Magda had been more tired than usual recently but she'd assumed that it had been because Angela had been under the weather for the last few days and had been quite demanding. Magda had also been retiring to bed earlier due to headaches and she'd been turning pale at the slightest whiff of milk; another two symptoms of early pregnancy. She should've at least _suspected_ that Magda could be pregnant, and the fact that she hadn't saddened her.

Would Magda have taken matters into her own hands if she hadn't come downstairs in the early hours and found her? She already knew the answer to that question.

Her husband's strong hands settling upon her hips through her skirt and his warm lips against her neck was what brought Shelagh back to the present a short while later, a radiant smile spreading across her rosy lips as she leaned back against his chest whilst fastening the top button on her blouse before allowing Patrick to wrap his arms around her middle. 'There's something bothering you,' He pointed out, kissing her neck. 'I know there is. You were miles away just now and I know that that means something's playing on your mind.'

'Maybe.' She sighed as she leaned back into his chest and she met his warm gaze through the mirror. 'But we haven't got time to talk about it now because I have to cook breakfast and I need to get Angela and Teddy dressed, so I was thinking that I might pop into the surgery at lunchtime so that we can talk then? I was hoping that you might give Angela the once over if I brought her with me, too, because I'm beginning to feel as though we might be dealing with something more than a little cold. She really isn't herself at the moment.' Patrick turned his wife to face him then before wrapping his arms securely around her middle and drawing her closer, nothing but love for her in his eyes as he gazed down at her.

'I want you to telephone me if you need me.' He told her as he stroked his thumbs against the swell of her hips. 'I don't want you doing too much and making _yourself_ ill, my love. I don't mind having a listen to Angela's chest when you come to the surgery and I'll give Teddy the once over too, just to make sure he's healthy and that he's not coming down with whatever it is that Angela's got.' Shelagh blessed him with a radiant smile of gratitude as she brushed her thumbs against his chest. 'I love it when you smile, you know.' He sighed with a loving smile of his own as he unwound one arm from around his wife's waist in order to reach up and cup the curve of her cheek in his palm, his thumb stroking against the creamy skin that he discovered there as he gazed into her eyes. 'We've had our troubles over the years but you never stopped smiling and that's one of the things I love about you.'

'When I was a little girl my Mum would tell me that a smile can fix everything, no matter how big or small the problem is. She said that a smile gives people hope and that it makes people feel better instantly, and she was right. I didn't believe that it was possible when I was younger - I didn't see how such a simple act could make such a difference - but I still remember walking up the steps of Nonnatus on my first day in Poplar. I was so nervous and I felt so homesick because I had never left Scotland in my life before that day and I had no friends or family in London, but when Sister Julienne opened the door and smiled as she told me that she had been expecting me I felt better instantly. It was like that when you and I worked together for the first time, you know.' She blushed slightly, Patrick chuckling as he stroked her honey-blonde hair with the palm of his hand and kissed her forehead.

'How do you mean, my love?' He asked lovingly.

'The first time we worked together was when Mrs. Robinson haemorrhaged during labour. I was on my own because I was first on call and everyone else was either out at clinic or at their own deliveries, and when she started haemorrhaging Mr. Robinson telephoned for you but when you arrived you said that there wasn't anything that could be done to save either her _or_ the baby.' Patrick nodded with a gentle sigh as he knew exactly where his wife was headed with her story. 'I still remember how he threw me against that wall.'

'All _I_ remember is wanting to kill him for laying a hand on you.' He admitted. 'I know that Marianne was still alive at that point, but I still cared for you more than I could explain.'

'I know.' She rubbed his chest with a soft smile. 'I blamed myself for the death of Mrs. Robinson and her baby for weeks and when I fell into that depression and was taken off of the roster so that I could rest, I honestly believed I was never going to get past it. I always thought that I would be sent back to Chichester. But then you came and sat out in the garden with me. You made me laugh for the first time in months and you helped me get better until my depression went away and I felt as though I could go back to midwifery.'

'Mmm...and you're _still_ the best midwife that Poplar has ever seen.' He charmed, dipping his head to press a slow kiss onto her rosy lips.

'I love you so much, Patrick.' She sighed as she ran her dainty hands along the outside of his arms through his jacket. 'I feel as though I don't tell you that as much these days.'

'Shelagh, you tell me that every day.' He reassured her. 'You don't have to say _anything_ for me to know that you love me, just as I don't have to say anything for you to know that I love you. When we were forced to keep silent about how we felt towards one another I knew you loved me and I know that you knew how deeply I loved you, and neither one of us needed to say a word to tell one another that.' Shelagh nodded gently. 'I never want you to feel like I don't know that you love me, because I do. Just like you know I love you.'

'Kiss me, Patrick.' She whispered as she slipped her arms around his neck and rose up onto her tiptoes, her husband's strong hands resting securely upon her hips to steady her.

'Of course, Mrs. Turner.' He chuckled before nuzzling the tip of his nose against hers, Shelagh giggling beautifully before he covered her mouth with his in a long and deep kiss.

* * *

'Did you manage to speak to Doctor Turner about my condition?' Magda asked as she was curled up in the armchair in the sitting room later that morning, Shelagh settled upon the settee across from her as she held Angela in her lap and her precious little girl was snuggled against her with her thumb in her mouth as her gentle brown eyes were watery and she continued to release chesty coughs every few minutes.

'I didn't manage to find the time to speak to him about it this morning, but I'm taking Angela and Teddy with me to the surgery at lunchtime so Patrick can check them over and make sure that Teddy isn't coming down with whatever Angela's got.' Shelagh sighed lovingly as she held Angela slightly closer to her chest, her daughter whimpering gently as she snuggled further into her warmth and allowed her to comb her fingers soothingly through her fair blonde hair as she rocked back and forth with her. 'He's noticed that there is something I'm not telling him, which is how I managed to explain to him that what I'm going to be telling him at the surgery is important and that you and I need his support.'

'Mrs. Turner, I don't want to be an imposition on you.' Magda sighed. 'I came to work for you so that you wouldn't have to work so hard, but now I'm just putting more onto your plate.' Shelagh shook her head with a kind smile.

'Magda, _I_ was the one who asked you to stay and to let us take care of both you and your baby.' She reminded her. 'I wouldn't have asked you to stay if I didn't want you here.'

'I know.' The young woman smiled. 'You're one of the best friends I've ever had, Mrs. Turner; no-one has ever been as kind to me as you, your family, and the girls at Nonnatus.'

'Everyone's like a family around here, Magda. Everyone knows one another and you can't walk down the street without someone saying hello to you. We all support each other.' Shelagh smiled, pressing her soft lips to the top of Angela's head as she noticed that her little girl had finally managed to fall asleep in her arms. 'I know that she hasn't been as clingy towards you since she fell ill, but Angela does love you so terribly much. When I was putting her to bed the other night she told me to promise that you'd never go away.'

'I love her too.' Magda admitted, smiling warmly at the lovely little girl that was releasing the softest of snores as she clung to her Mummy. 'She's like the little sister I never had.'

'You know, it's by seeing how you are with Angela that tells me you're going to be an incredible mother.' Shelagh smiled. 'You're so loving and compassionate towards her.'

'I have to admit that since you told me you're going to support me I feel a little more excited about my baby.' The au pair admitted. 'I suppose I was just worried that I wouldn't have been able to keep it safe or be a good mother to it if I didn't have anyone to support me and if I didn't have anywhere to go.' Shelagh nodded in understanding. 'I want this baby, Mrs. Turner. I want to be able to give it the childhood that I didn't have and I want to prove to people that I'm not like my mother.'

'Was your mother unkind towards you, Magda?' Shelagh asked softly.

'I'm the youngest of nine children, Mrs. Turner, and the smallest.' The young woman admitted. 'My mother was always so busy looking after my older siblings that she never had much time for me. She never paid much attention to me; she directed most of it to my older sister Hanna and she always told me to be more like her. She told me to be smarter; to be prettier, and to stop thinking that I was entitled to things. If I wanted dolls when I was a little girl I had to pay for them with my own pocket money. Mother always said that the only thing she really had to give me was a roof over my head, clothes and meals, and that anything else I wanted had to come out of my own money.' Shelagh felt her heart sink. 'When I arrived in Paris her words stayed with me and I realised that if I was going to survive there I would have to find work. I spent a few weeks working in a jewellers and that's how I met my ex-fiancé. When he asked me to live with him I told myself that, like my mother, he didn't have to give me anything and so I worked for everything I wanted. I even gave him the money for an engagement ring when he decided that he wanted to propose to me.'

'Oh, Magda, I'm so sorry.' Shelagh sighed.

'There's no need to be.' Magda reassured her. 'Those experiences just made me realise that I don't want my son or daughter to grow up like I did. I want my child to have all that it wants and I don't want it to grow up thinking that it has to work so that I will love it. I want to be the one to buy it toys and to work to provide for it. That's how it should be.'

'You're right.' The elder woman sighed with a kind smile as she drew Angela close. 'It's exactly how it should be.' Just as the two of them began to fall into a comfortable silence, they were immediately brought out of it by Teddy's cries from the floor above them. 'Oh, Magda, would you take Angela for me? It's time for Teddy's feed and he won't take it if I make him wait too long for it.' Magda nodded with a friendly smile before Shelagh reciprocated it as she stood from the settee, the au pair accepting a sleeping Angela into her lap before Shelagh pressed a kiss to the crown of her daughter's head. 'It's alright, Teddy, Mummy's coming!' She called up to him as she began to approach the spiral staircase.

As Magda held Angela close to her once Shelagh had disappeared upstairs she couldn't help but smile as the four-year-old readjusted herself in her lap, her small head coming to rest upon her shoulder before she nuzzled into her neck and gripped the freshly-ironed material of her dress in her small hand. The feeling of Angela's warm breath against her skin only made her fall more in love with the little girl whom she had grown to be rather fond of, and she realised that maybe being a mother wouldn't be so difficult after all. She found, as she held Angela close and began to rock her back and forth as Shelagh had done just minutes earlier, that she couldn't wait to do the same with her own baby.

Now she truly couldn't wait to be a Mummy.

* * *

'You were right to ask me to check her over, my love.' Patrick sighed as he removed the chest-piece of his stethoscope from Angela's small chest later that day, his little girl sat comfortably in his lap as he sat in his desk-chair and Shelagh was occupying the chair on the other side of his desk with Teddy babbling away in her own lap, their son's fragile fingers tugging on the small buttons that held her blouse closed. 'She's definitely got a chest infection.' Shelagh sighed deeply as she gazed lovingly over at her poorly little girl.

'My chest hurts, Daddy.' Angela whined as she tugged on his tie, her gentle brown eyes filled with discomfort and fatigue as it was impossible for her to sleep through the night.

'I know it does, Princess.' Patrick kissed her temple lingeringly before beginning to button up the front of her baby pink dress once more. 'But Daddy will give Mummy a bottle of medicine to take home so that she and I can give it to you in the mornings, after your lunch and before you go to bed, okay? And then, in a few days, you should start to perk up a little and then you can go back to nursery once this chest infection's cleared up.' Angela's eyes lit up at the thought of seeing her friends again, a beautiful smile upon her lips.

'So you're certain that there's nothing wrong with Teddy?' Shelagh spoke up a few moments later. 'He's alright?'

'He's completely fine, Shelagh.' Patrick smiled lovingly. 'There's nothing wrong with him and even if he does come down with what Angela's got, it won't be as bad. Especially not if you carry on breastfeeding.' Shelagh nodded with a gentle smile over at her husband before she stroked her little boy's hair affectionately, Teddy giving her a handsome smile.

'My gorgeous boy.' She cooed before leaving a slow kiss upon his tiny forehead. 'Patrick, do you remember how I said that I wanted to talk to you about what was bothering me?'

'Yes?' He replied with a warm smile as he held Angela close to him and allowed her to cuddle against him, feeling his heart swell with deep love for her as he adored the way that she always became so affectionate whenever she was under the weather; the way that she always had to be held tight against either his or Shelagh's chest.

'It's about Magda.' She sighed gently. 'Last night, when I told you that she was ill, I lied.'

Patrick's brow furrowed slightly. 'What do you mean?' He asked.

'She's not ill, she's - she's expecting a baby.' She admitted, her husband's eyes widening immediately.

'So you mean that whilst she's been living with us; whilst we've been -'

'No!' Shelagh was quick to correct him. 'No, she hasn't been sneaking out, she was pregnant when she arrived in Poplar.'

Patrick settled slightly then, drawing Angela slightly closer to him as she clung to the lapel of his jacket. 'Go on.' He prompted.

'Before she left Paris she was engaged to be married to a man named Feri but he was terribly abusive to her and so she took up work as an au pair in order to get away. She told me that the abuse started when he accused her of flirting with one of his closest friends when they had gone out for a meal one evening. She said that she'd tried to explain that it had been his friend making advances towards her, but he'd had none of it and had forbidden her to have any contact with men because he didn't trust her. Patrick, I think she took the job here as a way of going into hiding. I know that she enjoys working for us, but I think she's come to England so that he can't hurt her anymore.' Patrick nodded with a soft sigh. 'There's something more.' She told him softly. 'When we were talking this morning, before I came back to bed, I told her that she could stay with us for as long as she wanted to.'

'Shelagh,' Patrick gave her a small smile.

'I know I should have asked for your permission first but she was in such a state, I-'

'Shelagh.' He repeated himself with a gentle chuckle, smiling lovingly over at her when she met his gaze. 'It's alright, darling, I don't mind if she stays with us.'

'You don't?' Shelagh asked, her ice-blue eyes sparkling behind her glasses.

'Of course not.' He shook his head. 'She's incredible with the children, she's managed to get Timothy to do his chores and you've seemed so much happier since she arrived.'

'Was I not happy before?' Shelagh raised her brow at him.

'That's not what I meant.' He admitted. 'What I meant was that you've seemed so much more relaxed and you've been able to spend more time simply playing with Angela.'

'I have, haven't I?' She smiled over at her little girl who appeared to, much to her delight, be finally drifting off to sleep once again against her father's chest.

'Yes.' He nodded. 'We'll have to get Magda registered and ask one of the nurses at Nonnatus to give her checks and to deliver the baby when it comes, but that's easy enough.'

'I think we should ask Nurse Dyer.' She admitted. 'Magda's gotten extremely comfortable with her and they've formed quite the bond. I sent Magda to Nonnatus before I came.'

'I agree.' He reassured her. 'There was nothing for either you or Magda to worry about, my love, you could have woken me up earlier and we could have talked about this then.'

'She was worried.' Shelagh told him. 'She didn't want the baby before I spoke to her. She was planning on going to one of those...one of those backstreet butchers.'

'Have you told her how dangerous that is?' Patrick's eyes widened once more.

'Both I and Valerie have expressed that to her and she's sworn to both of us that she won't go near them. She wants her baby now that she knows we'll support her, Patrick, she told me. She wants to be a mother and I don't believe she's just saying that, because I saw it in her eyes. I see it in her eyes when she looks at the children.' Shelagh admitted.

'After dinner tonight you and I will sit down with Magda and talk about where we're going to go from here.' He told her. 'I want her to feel as comfortable as possible with this.'

'As I knew you would.' Shelagh shook her head lovingly at him before smiling down at Teddy as their son played with her necklace. 'I love you so much, Patrick Turner.'

'I love you too, Shelagh, and I am _so_ proud of you.' He sighed, his gaze fixed solely upon her as she cooed down at their son.

She always made him so very proud of her.

* * *

'I'll telephone Nonnatus in the morning and get you registered.' Patrick reassured Magda as he and Shelagh stood beside her at the foot of the staircase that evening. 'And then, when it's time for your first clinical appointment, Shelagh will go with you and Nurse Dyer will run the tests that're required to make sure that you and your baby are doing well.'

'I don't know how to repay you both for all of this.' The young woman admitted as she smiled at the two of them. 'You've both done so much for me _and_ the baby already.'

'No repayment is necessary.' Shelagh took her hand gently in her own before giving it a warm squeeze. 'You're one of our patients now as well as our friend, and we want to help you in any way possible.' Patrick nodded in agreement with his wife as he allowed his hand to rest upon the small of her back through her dress. 'Why don't you head up to bed, Magda? You look worn out and you might as well make the most of the rest that you get now, because getting comfortable isn't the easiest thing to do when you start showing.'

Magda nodded in response. 'Goodnight, Mr. and Mrs. Turner.' She smiled. 'And thank you both once again.' She then headed up the staircase, Patrick waiting until he heard her bedroom door close before he pulled his wife into his arms and caught her in a slowly passionate kiss. Shelagh, who's body was stiff in his arms for just a moment before she melted against him, hummed gently in contentment against his lips before slipping her arms loosely around his neck, her heart swelling with love for him as she drew him close.

'What was that for?' She breathed once the two of them had parted just moments later and Patrick had leaned his forehead against her own. 'Not that I'm complaining, mind.'

'Because you're my wife.' He reminded her. 'I love you more than I could ever hope to explain and I am _never_ going to let you slip away from me, do you understand me?'

'I do.' She whispered, slipping her arms around his middle and laying her head down upon his chest. 'Oh, I love you.'

'Mmm...I love you too, Mrs. Turner.' He murmured as he pressed his smooth lips to her head in a warm and slow kiss, running his strong hand along her spine. 'Endlessly.'

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Patrick felt Shelagh bury her face into his neck as they lay together a few mornings later and he had his strong arms wrapped around her slight waist beneath the covers, one of her shapely legs tangled with his as her warm breath hit against his skin and she curled herself into his side whilst draping her arm loosely over his stomach and anchoring herself to him. It was rare, now that they had two young children, that the two of them ever managed to find time for early morning lovemaking so on the extremely rare occasion that both Angela and Teddy decided to have a lie-in, Patrick and Shelagh made certain to make the most of it. He pulled her close when he felt her settle in his embrace - holding her securely against his chest - and pressed a light and lingering kiss to her head before whispering barely coherent words of love into her dishevelled honey-blonde hair.

'When was the last time we got to do this?' Shelagh asked with a lazy smile as she brought her head to lay upon his shoulder a few moments later and her gentle ice-blue eyes met with his warm hazel brown ones, her husband returning her tranquil smile with one of his own as he ran one of his strong hands soothingly along the perfect curve of her spine. 'It sounds terrible, I know, but I sometimes feel grateful whenever Angela's not well because she sleeps in for longer than usual. It gives me the chance to just lie in your arms and let you hold and kiss me.' She cupped the side of his neck in her dainty palm then before drawing his face towards hers and capturing his lower lip in a long and slow kiss, tracing the sharpness of his jawline with the pad of her thumb as Patrick drew her further into him by the hip and she released a sigh of contentment against his incredibly soft and warm lips.

'I know exactly how you feel, my love.' He reassured her once they'd parted with a soft smack several moments later and he allowed his forehead to lean against hers as she grazed the tip of her nose delicately against his. 'I've missed having mornings like this with you - mornings where we can just make love and forget that we've got patients and children to care for. It reminds me of when we were on our honeymoon in Torquay, you know. Just you and me together in the mornings and the evenings with no distractions.' The tips of his fingers danced lazily along the outside of her arm as he brushed the softest of kisses against her lips, a gentle chuckle escaping him when he peeled back and saw that her cheeks had taken on a slightly deeper shade of pink as she blessed him with a small yet radiant smile. 'You are the most beautiful woman in all of Poplar, Shelagh Turner.' He caressed her warm cheek with the backs of his fingers, his heart swelling with the deep love that he held for her as she nuzzled against his hand with a perfect sigh of contentment. 'I love you.'

'I love you too, Patrick.' She whispered as she allowed her eyes to flutter open just seconds later and her rosy lips, which were still slightly swollen from his kisses, curled up into a beautiful smile. The two of them began to indulge in a slow and passionate kiss then, Patrick cupping the smooth curve of his wife's cheek in his palm as Shelagh's soft hand came up to cup the side of his neck and their tongues began to dance together with ease, the two of them sighing deeply in unison as they pulled apart at the sound of their son's voice.

'Mumma.' Shelagh couldn't find it in her to be annoyed with her precious baby boy as she pulled away from her husband and propped herself up slightly on her hands, her soft lips curling up into a loving smile as she could just about make out Teddy standing up in his cot on the other side of the room. 'Mumma.' Teddy repeated himself, Shelagh letting out a gentle giggle as she leaned over to retrieve her glasses from her bedside table before slipping them carefully onto her nose in order for her to see her lovely little boy more clearly.

'Good morning, handsome.' She beamed as she gazed over at him before she felt Patrick slip his arm around her waist with a slow kiss to her neck.

'Mmm...you never say that to me when I wake you up for work.' He teased, nuzzling against her. 'You just groan at me; I should feel hurt.'

'Oh, shut up.' She giggled before turning her head towards him in order to press a soft kiss onto his eagerly awaiting lips. 'You _know_ you're handsome, you don't need me to tell you that.' She then brushed his dishevelled hair carefully away from his forehead before stretching up to press her lips to the exposed skin in a lingering kiss, a soft sigh leaving her lips when Teddy called for her again with rather an impatient tone. 'Alright, darling, Mummy's coming.' She reassured him before leaning over the side of the bed to retrieve her dressing gown from the floor, her heart swelling with love for her son as she stood from the bed after knotting the ties of her dressing gown around her waist and Teddy fell back onto his bottom in his cot before clapping gleefully as he beamed up at his Mummy. 'You are growing up far too quickly for Mummy's liking, young man, and I want you to stop it this instant.' She sighed once she had Teddy balanced on her hip and her son's head was cushioned on her shoulder, nothing but love in her eyes as she kissed his cheek.

She couldn't help but giggle when she heard her little boy's tummy growl as he snuggled against her, a gentle smile upon her lips as she began to carry him over to the bed that she shared with her husband and Patrick drew back the covers for her so that she could climb back into bed beside him. 'Somebody seems to have worked up quite the appetite through the night, hasn't he?' She cooed as she sat Teddy safely in her lap before nuzzling several playful kisses into his neck and revelling in the precious giggles that left him. 'Will you cuddle with me whilst I feed him?' She asked her husband with a small smile as she lifted Teddy's pyjama top carefully over his head in order to share skin-to-skin with him as she nursed him, Patrick nodding with a dashing sparkle in his deep brown eyes before she made an opening in her dressing gown that was large enough for Teddy to fit into. A smile of pure love and devotion spread across her lips as she drew Teddy close to her chest and felt him latch onto her breast without a fuss, his tiny hand coming up to cup the round swell of it in its palm as he began to suck slowly upon her nipple. 'I love it when he takes his milk off of me, Patrick.' She admitted as he brought her close to him.

'I know you do, my love.' His voice was muffled in her warm honey-blonde hair as he pressed a soft kiss to the side of her head. 'There aren't words to explain how beautiful you look whenever you're nursing. I don't think I'll ever get over it.' He brushed a soft kiss against her covered shoulder before tightening his arm around her and drawing her closer.

'Maybe we should try for another.' She teased as she patted Teddy's back comfortingly. 'Then, when Teddy's weaned, we'll still be able to have moments like this.'

'You'll hear no complaints from me.' He smirked, kissing the back of her neck. 'You look ravishing when you're pregnant, too.'

'Next year?' She asked softly as she turned her head towards him, hope sparkling in her beautiful blue eyes.

'Next year.' He reassured her, planting a delicate kiss upon her lips. 'Oh, I love you.'

'I love you too, Patrick.' She beamed before snuggling against him. 'I love you too.'

* * *

'Oh, Angela, please be a good girl for Mummy and take your medicine.' Shelagh sighed later that morning as she was stood in the sitting room and her precious little girl was sat on the settee with her arms folded across her chest, tears rolling softly down her porcelain cheeks as she gazed up at her. 'I know you don't feel well, sweet pea, but this'll help.'

'I don't like it, Mummy, it's yucky.' Angela whimpered through her tears. 'Can I cuddle with you instead?'

'Mummy will snuggle with you _after_ you take your medicine, darling. What will Daddy say if he comes downstairs and finds out that you haven't taken it? You don't want to make Daddy sad, do you?' Angela shook her head slowly as she played with the buttons on her pyjama top. 'If you be a big girl and take your medicine then Mummy will let you have a few grapes to take the bad taste away, alright? Will you take it if I promise to give you some grapes?' Her little girl's eyes sparkled at that, a small smile spreading across her soft rosebud lips as she nodded. 'That's my angel girl.' Shelagh smiled before unscrewing the cap on the bottle and sitting down beside her daughter on the settee, Angela observing her closely as she poured the syrup onto the teaspoon in her free hand. She then began to guide the teaspoon towards her daughter's mouth, Angela parting her lips reluctantly in order to accept it before she quickly swallowed the first teaspoon of medicine with a grimace. 'Two more, sweetheart, and then you can have some grapes.' Shelagh smiled as she poured more of the syrup out onto the teaspoon, warm tears continuing to dance down Angela's porcelain cheeks as she gazed up at her mother and played with her hands.

It was a few minutes later when Angela finally swallowed the last teaspoon of medicine and heaved slightly before settling, Shelagh sighing lovingly at her as she tucked a strand of her beautiful blonde hair back behind her ear. 'No more, Mummy.' Angela shook her head tearfully as she looked into her mother's eyes, Shelagh leaning in to peck her cheek before she screwed the cap back onto the bottle of medicine.

'No more, sweet pea, I promise. Not until after lunch.' She opened her arms to her daughter then, Angela crawling into her lap before she snuggled into her chest and released a gentle sigh as she buried her face into her neck. 'Would you like some grapes now, sweetie?' Shelagh asked lovingly as she pressed a lingering kiss to the top of Angela's head.

'Later, Mummy.' The four-year-old admitted with a sleepy smile as she clung to her mother and allowed her brown eyes to flutter closed. 'I just want to cuddle with you for now.'

'Well, whatever the Princess wants the Princess gets, isn't that what Daddy always says?' Shelagh giggled as she felt her heart swell with love for her precious little girl.

Angela nodded slowly against her before tilting her head back against her chest in order to look up at her. 'I love you, Mummy.' She told her with a beautiful smile.

'I love you too, angel girl.' Shelagh reassured her before dipping her head to nuzzle the tip of her nose against hers, Angela giggling sweetly before her Mum kissed her temple.

As the two of them fell into a comfortable silence whilst cuddling a short time later, Shelagh couldn't help but gaze down at the charming little girl who had completely changed her life. Angela had given her hope when all hope had been lost after Doctor Horringer had incorrectly diagnosed her as infertile. Angela had quenched her longing for a child of her own when she and Patrick had brought her home from the adoption agency the day after her birth, and she had only made her love her more with every day that had passed. It was hard for Shelagh to know that her little girl wasn't a baby anymore; that she was just two months away from turning five, and she wished that time would just stop so that Angela would always be the little girl who got into bed with her for snuggles every morning; the little girl who always preferred to be in her lap rather than playing with the other children whenever she and Patrick took she and Teddy out to the playground on one of their rare days off from the surgery. She simply didn't want her baby girl to grow up.

'Teddy is dressed, Mrs. Turner.' Magda's gentle voice was what brought Shelagh back to the present a few moments later and she couldn't help but smile as she noticed that her little girl had drifted off in her embrace, Angela releasing delicate snores as her face was turned into her chest. 'He's being a little angel this morning, aren't you, Master Turner?'

'Thank you, Magda.' Shelagh smiled as she ran her fingers through Angela's warm hair and smiled up at the au pair from where she was sat on the settee. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm feeling well, Mrs. Turner, but I didn't manage to get much sleep last night. The sickness has started, and it woke me up every two hours or so.' The young woman admitted.

'I'm sorry.' Shelagh sighed. 'Are you certain that you can manage with the children today? I can always take the day off again if you need to rest, Magda.'

'I'll be fine.' Magda reassured her, patting the small of Teddy's back with a warm smile as he was balanced on her hip. 'We all will, won't we, Teddy?'

Teddy babbled in agreement.

'Patrick has telephoned Nonnatus House and has explained everything to Sister Julienne. She wants you and I to go and see her this evening so that we can make plans for your pregnancy and so that she can meet you.' Magda looked slightly nervous. 'There's no need to be anxious, Magda, Sister Julienne is one of the kindest women I know and I swear to you that she isn't going to judge you. Patrick told me that she's said she can't wait to meet you, so you don't need to worry.' Shelagh watched her shoulders fall in relief.

'Now, Angela's taken her medicine this morning but she's due another three teaspoons at 12:30. Timothy won't be home until 6:30 this evening because he's got orchestra, so if this little one does as she's told and takes it easy today then it shouldn't be too chaotic for you.' Shelagh giggled. 'Just put some cartoons on for her when she wakes up and find her a blanket to cover herself with, and she _should_ just lay on the settee. Remember, just telephone the surgery or Nonnatus if you need I or Patrick to come home at any point.'

'Thank you, Mrs. Turner.' Magda smiled. 'When the children are down for their naps may I borrow your nursing books? I really _am_ interested in going into midwifery once I finish working for you.'

'Of course you may.' Shelagh nodded, nothing but kindness in her eyes. 'And if you need any help or advice then all you have to do is ask.'

Magda nodded in response as she bounced Teddy gently when he began to fuss.

'Now,' Shelagh sighed as she carefully removed Angela from her lap before laying her daughter down upon the settee and lifting her head so that it settled upon the arm-rest. 'I should probably go and get ready, because Nurse Crane will end up on the war-path if I'm late.' She and Magda giggled softly together before she pressed the slowest of kisses onto Angela's cheek, a loving smile upon her lips as she did the same to Teddy before squeezing Magda's shoulder tenderly and approaching the staircase that led to her room.

Magda couldn't help but sigh as she drew slow circles into the centre of Teddy's back through his vest and the precious little boy chewed happily upon his fist. Whenever she set eyes on the youngest Turner children she immediately thought about the baby that was slowly growing within her womb. She couldn't wait to cradle her son or daughter close to her; to count each of its tiny fragile fingers and toes and to shower it with all the love that she possessed. Feri had always told her that she'd be nothing but a disappointment to their child should they have ever had one; that she would be a sorry excuse for a mother and wouldn't know the first thing about how to care for their baby properly. That was a fraction of the reason why she had considered abortion. She'd thought that she would end up hurting her child or having it taken away from her, but now she knew that Feri had used those words to abuse her emotionally as well as physically. She'd realized, through caring for Timothy, Angela and Teddy, that she was perfectly capable of being a mother.

She was determined to prove Feri wrong.

* * *

'Magda?' Angela's beautiful voice prompted the young woman to tear her gaze away from the innocent face of baby Teddy as he slept soundly in her arms later that day, a loving smile spreading across her lips as the precious four-year-old that she'd grown to be extremely fond of over the last few weeks made her way around to the front of the settee. 'I was just wondering if I - if I could have a cuddle?' Angela asked as she played with the front of her pyjama top. 'Mummy always gives me cuddles when I'm not feeling very well.'

'Of course you can have a cuddle, sweetheart.' Magda sighed with a perfect smile before she shushed the infant in her arms as he grizzled gently in his sleep. 'Why don't you get comfortable whilst I go and lay Teddy down in his cot? Then we can snuggle together until your Mummy and Daddy get home at half-past, can't we?' Angela nodded with a small smile before climbing up onto the settee as Magda stood in order to carry Teddy over to the small cot that her employers kept downstairs for when their little boy took his naps. She cradled the back of his head securely as she lowered him down into his cot, shushing him gently once again as he whimpered at being moved before she caressed his warm cheek with the backs of her fingers and smiled lovingly down at him as he settled back into slumber. 'Sleep well, my darling.' She whispered before moving away from his cot, a gentle smile upon her soft lips as she began to make her way back over to the settee. 'How are you feeling, precious?' She asked as she brought Angela into her lap after sitting.

'Poorly.' The four-year-old sniffed as she nuzzled into her chest and gripped the soft material of her dress in her small hand. 'I want Mummy to come home so that she can sing her special Scottish songs to me. I don't know what she's saying when she sings them, but she says that's because she's singing in gayl - gayli-' Angela struggled with the word.

'Gaelic, darling.' Magda smiled as she stroked her fingers through Angela's fair blonde hair. 'It's a language that some people who live in Scotland speak and your Mummy - back when she lived there - probably would have spoke it too.' Angela allowed her head to come and settle upon the au pair's shoulder before a precious smile spread across her lips.

'I love it when Mummy sings to me.' She admitted. 'She usually sings to me when I'm ill or if I have a nightmare. She does sing to me when we snuggle together too, though.'

'My Daddy used to be the one to sing to me.' Magda told her. 'He would sit me on his knee when I was your age and he would sing to me every night before bedtime.'

'Do you miss your Daddy? I miss my Daddy when he has to go to work at night.' Angela snuggled further into her.

'I miss my Daddy every day, precious. He died a long time ago, but I still remember him and I still have the teddy bear that he gave to me.' Magda smiled, kissing her forehead.

'My Daddy gave me a teddy bear for my birthday!' Angela giggled. 'He's called Cuthbert the Second because Timmy used to have a teddy called Cuthbert.'

'Does Cuthbert give you cuddles when you're scared at night?' The young woman asked, feeling her heart swell with love for Angela as she nodded slowly. 'So did mine.'

'Cuthbert the Second is my second best friend.' Angela yawned before allowing her eyes to flutter closed as she nuzzled into Magda's neck once more.

'Oh? And who's your first?' The au pair asked softly, leaning back against the settee as she knew that Angela was slowly drifting off against her.

'You.' Angela whispered. 'You're my very best friend, Magda, and I love you.'

Magda could have wept at the sincerity in the young girl's voice as she held her close whilst she drifted off to sleep, a gentle sigh escaping her as she turned her head to press a warm kiss onto the smooth skin of Angela's hairline. 'I love you too, Angela.' She whispered, feeling the young girl's breath against her skin as she snored. 'More than you know.'

* * *

'Do you have any idea of whether you would like a home-birth or a hospital one?' Sister Julienne asked kindly later that evening as Magda and Shelagh were sat before her on the other side of her desk, a warm smile upon her lips as she watched Shelagh brushing her thumb reassuringly across Magda's knuckles as their hands rested neatly within her lap.

'Mrs. Turner has told me that I'm welcome to have the baby at her home if I would like to, so I think I would like it to be there if that's not too much trouble.' Magda admitted.

'It's no trouble at all, Magda, whatever makes you most comfortable.' The Sister reassured her. 'Now, do you know how far along you are?'

'Two months.' Magda admitted. 'Roughly.'

'That's splendid.' Sister Julienne smiled. 'Because you're new here and because you didn't find out about the baby until yesterday, I'd be grateful if you'd come to Clinic tomorrow afternoon so that we can do some tests and examine you properly. No part of your appointment will hurt; it's simply about checking your blood pressure and having a sample of urine so that we can monitor you and make certain that there's no sign of Toxaemia. The rest is mainly questions about dates and other such things so we can establish a due-date in a few weeks' time.' Shelagh squeezed Magda's hand reassuringly as she gazed over at her. 'Shelagh can stay with you for as long as you like, you won't be on your own.'

'Will I be treated differently to married mothers?' Magda asked gently. 'In Hungary unmarried women are treated with less respect than those who have husbands.'

'Every mother is treated with the same amount of compassion and respect, Magda.' Shelagh reassured her. 'We won't disrespect someone simply because they're unmarried.'

The young woman nodded with a small smile.

'So, will Nurse Dyer be seeing you at Clinic tomorrow?' The Sister asked kindly.

'Yes.' Magda reassured her, her free hand resting instinctively upon her lower abdomen. 'I'll be there.'

* * *

'So she's agreed to go to Clinic tomorrow?' Patrick asked from where he was propped up against the pillow of the bed that he shared with his wife a few hours later, their perfect little girl sound asleep against his chest as her breathing was slightly wheezy and he continued to stroke the tips of his fingers soothingly through her beautiful fair blonde hair.

'She has, thank goodness.' Shelagh nodded as she lowered Teddy down into his cot before leaning down to press her lips to his temple in a slow and soft kiss. 'She is, however, a bit worried that the other mothers are going to look down on her because she's unmarried. She's worried that they're going to judge her and that she won't make any friends.'

'And what did you say?' He asked as he drew his daughter further into his warmth with a kiss to her head.

'I told her that I'll be beside her from the moment we go into Clinic to the moment we come out and that none of the midwives there are going to tolerate any kind of anti-social behaviour.' She admitted as she lowered herself down into the chair at her vanity and began to carefully put her rollers in. 'She told me that she felt a little calmer when we were walking home and when we got back she headed straight to bed, not that I blame her. Apparently Teddy was crying this morning and then she had Angela asking to snuggle for the rest of the day.' Patrick chuckled softly as he cast his gaze down to the poorly little girl beside him, nothing but deep love for her in his eyes as a quiet sigh escaped his lips.

'I think we'll have our little girl back before the end of next week.' He admitted as he stroked the backs of his fingers down the side of Angela's face. 'She's perked up tonight.'

'I hate seeing a single one of our children ill, Patrick.' Shelagh sighed as she stood from her chair after putting the final roller into her hair, nothing but love in her eyes as she made her way over to the bed with her hair covered with a hairnet, Patrick smiling gently up at her as he pulled back the covers in order for her to slide into bed beside him. 'It's so hard to see her so emotional and so weak because of this chest infection, but I know that the medicine you've given her is going to do her good if she stops refusing to take it.' She stroked Angela's hair slowly back beneath her ear before her four-year-old hummed in her sleep and rolled away from her father, Shelagh wrapping her arm around her.

'You snuggling with her has been helping too.' He told her. 'She rests when she's in your arms and that's the best thing for her at the moment.'

'I love cuddling with her.' She whispered into their daughter's hair as Angela snuggled against her and buried her face into the thin material of her nightgown. 'She's so perfect.'

'Just like her beautiful Mummy.' Patrick traced the sharpness of his wife's jaw with the tips of his fingers, a loving smile upon his lips.

'Once a charmer always a charmer.' She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

'My charm managed to get you out of that habit and into my arms, so I wouldn't complain about it if I were you.' He teased, tucking a strand of her hair back beneath her ear.

'I love you so much, Patrick.' She sighed as she gazed over at him.

'I love you too, Shelagh.' He reassured her before leaning over their sleeping little girl in order to press a kiss onto her rosy lips. 'Now get some sleep, Shelagh.'

Shelagh nodded obediently before settling down with her little girl and burying her face in her hair, holding Angela as close as possible. 'Goodnight, Patrick.'

'Goodnight, my beautiful girls.' Patrick whispered as he stretched to turn out the lamp on his bedside table before shifting closer to his wife and daughter and draping his strong arm over the two of them, brushing his thumb against the curve of Shelagh's waist through the quilt. 'Pleasant dreams.'

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please review!**


End file.
